“A sewer worker is like a brain surgeon. We’re both specialists.” —Ed Norton, The Honeymooners.

Ed’s fingernails would be a lot cleaner if this robotic sewer “crawler” existed. Though not an object of beauty this robot is designed to go where you would rather not. It’s estimated that 850 billion gallons of sewer and storm water leaking into watersheds around the country every year. With the Environmental Protection Agency cracking down on cracked pipes the SuperVision 250 submerges to the occasion.

Placed in pipes 10 to 72 inches in diameter, this little robot will track down splits, debris, corrosion, and breaks. Operators can watch the video feed from the 10X optical-zoom autofocus camera and use a joystick to pan and tilt. A ring of high-intensity, shadowless LEDs illuminates the scene; dual lasers help size up defects. A sapphire window shields the camera lens, while hardened stainless steel parts protect the crawler from the harsh sewer environment. And thanks to an ultrathin, Kevlar-reinforced tether (sorry, no wireless), the bot can crawl up to 1,640 feet through even heavily obstructed pipes. Just make sure to hose it off when it comes back.

The manufacturer claims it to be the Most Intelligent Crawler Ever is Also the Most Powerful. SuperVision sets a new standard for video inspection crawlers, integrating a host of innovations such as PipeBus, a communications protocol that allows for lighter cable and longer runs, as well as a zoom camera option, onboard diagnostics and the most sophisticated control console ever designed for a crawler. Like Envirosight’s ROVVER crawler, SuperVision boasts a modular design that lets you swap out camera heads, auxiliary lamps and wheels to meet the demands of the inspection at hand. And with a choice of cable reels, control units and pendants, you can build the system that best suits your working style.

Aluminum and stainless steel body, 6 wheel steerable drive and electrical clutch. For diameters from 10 in to 78 in. Includes 2 sets of additional wheels and Solarc auxiliary lights.